Uncategorized | Fair Trade Vancouver

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Fall Fair Trade Gift Ideas by Jill Kirwan

Give the Gift of Fair Trade! Some Fair Trade Gift Ideas for Loved Ones

Choosing the perfect gift for a special occasion such as a birthday, anniversary or even a little ‘pick me up’ is no mean feat. We all want to give a gift that has some meaning or value behind it. For your next special occasion, why not consider a Fair Trade certified gift? With the fantastic range of fairly made products available online and in stores, there is truly something for everyone. Check out our useful gift guide for some inspiration…

For the Fashion Fan

The number of fair trade fashion houses is on the increase these days, with big brands such as Patagonia and People Tree producing fair trade certified clothing. There are also many boutiques that do online delivery so you can find something special and unique for him or her.

Shop:

Patagonia (https://www.patagonia.com/shop/fair-trade-clothing)

People Tree (http://www.peopletree.co.uk/)

Ten Thousand Villages (https://www.tenthousandvillages.ca/)

Kindred Apparel (http://www.kindredapparel.com/)

For the Homebody

For the house-proud friend who loves to keep their home looking beautiful and inviting, simple gifts such as organic fair trade candles, essential oils and soaps can be found easily in many eco-focused stores and markets around Vancouver, such as Choices or Pomme Natural Market. A bouquet of fresh fair trade flowers is also a wonderful and cheerful gift that will add life to any home.

Shop:

Fable Naturals (http://www.fablenaturals.com/?c=d9703a36dec2)

Dr Bronner’s (https://www.drbronner.com/)

Fullbloom Flowers (http://www.fullbloomflowers.ca/)

For the Foodie

The range of fair trade certified food and drink is ever increasing, along with the level of quality. From decadent dark chocolate truffles to red wine and olive oil there is no shortage gourmet products to choose from. Why not make up a deluxe fair trade food hamper for your loved one to enjoy?

Shop:

Pomme Natural Market, Choices, Donald’s, Wholefoods, Famous Foods, or Online (http://www.houseofmandela.com/; http://www.lasiembra.com/camino/; http://www.divinechocolate.com/uk/; https://www.africanbronzehoney.com/; http://www.benandjerrys.ca/)

For the Jewellery Enthusiast

Fair trade jewelry is taking off in a big way. From necklaces, bracelets and earrings to brooches, rings and tie clips, you’ll find something for everyone. There are many online traders on Etsy who work with Fair Trade certified material.

Shop:

Search “Fair Trade Jewelry” on Etsy.com

Ten Thousand Villages (https://www.tenthousandvillages.ca/)

Fair Trade Jewellery Co. (https://ftjco.com/)

Hume Atelier (http://humeatelier.com/)

Join us this Monday at Fair Trade Made

Fair Trade certification has seen great successes in agricultural goods like coffee, chocolate, and tea, though it is less often associated with the apparel sector. In 2014, we saw the first companies certify their manufacturing processes as Fair Trade Certified, MEC being among them. This demonstrates progress in the apparel industry, though also prompts a number of questions about how to address supply chain concerns from top to bottom.

How does the Fair Trade model approach the apparel sector? What other certifications are working to protect labour and environmental rights along the apparel supply chain? What are the challenges and opportunities to incorporate ethics into what we wear?

This Monday, February 16th three panelists from around Vancouver will gather at The Profile on Water Street in downtown Vancouver to discuss opportunities and challenges for applying ethics to apparel industry.

· Fair Trade Vancouver: Who we are, what we do, and why we put on events like this
· Anil Hira: SFU, Professor of Political Science
· Amy Roberts: Director of Sustainability, MEC
· Kemp Edwards: CEO/Co-Founder of Ethical Profiling

This event is free and open to the public. Please share widely!

RSVP on meetup.com/fairtradevancouver, or e-mail marianne@fairtradevancouver.ca with any questions.

Food, Friends and Fair Trade Coffee

The sun came out just in time for the “Meet Your Maker” event today honoring Fair Trade Campus Week at UBC! I had the pleasure of stopping by the UBC bookstore this morning to find a cluster of local companies handing out free samples and chatting with students about ethical and healthy snack foods! The event was made possible by UBC’s Engineers Without Borders, Food Services , the UBC Farm, and also featured the tasty products of some awesome and ethical local companies. Although I was not able to stick around for the whole event, I did manage to grab a free and hot cuppa fair trade joe from our friends at Ethical Bean. Community events like these are great places to take a break, meet cool people, and ultimately learn something new!

Fair Trade Campus week is not over yet folks! UBC’s Engineers Without Borders is having a Fair Trade Pancake Breakfast on Friday September 26. Come by the new UBC Bookstore from 9-11am for some free and fair trade chocolaty-chip pancakes! That’s right I did say FREE!

This is Rita signing off,

Your friend at Fairtrade Van